Researchers at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB), Thiruvananthapuram, have received a ₹7 crore grant to develop an automated diagnostic device for detecting early signs of cervical cancer from a blood sample. This will potentially reduce the need for invasive procedures and specialised technical expertise .
The project is supported through the MAHA MedTech Mission, launched by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Gates Foundation.
The research is being carried out at RGCB in collaboration with the start-up IndZita Biotech Private Limited, Thiruvananthapuram, and Karkinos Healthcare Private Limited (KHPL), Barshi, Maharashtra, an official release issued by RGCB said.
Beena Pillai, Director of RGCB, said with more than a thousand proposals were considered for the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) grant. She said that she felt extremely proud that the RGCB’s proposal was one among the 33 selected for the grant.
The proposed device is designed to detect piRNA-based biomarkers in blood and analyse them using nanopore technology, a highly sensitive molecular detection platform. The aim is to develop a rapid, automated testing system that can eventually be operated without the need for technical expertise.
“The idea is to make the technology simple enough to be used beyond specialised laboratory settings. The patient would just need to produce a blood sample, which will be autoanalysed by the device,” Jackson James, the project’s lead researcher, said.
Cervical cancer remains an important public-health concern in India. Although screening and early detection can help identify cervical abnormalities before they progress to invasive disease, access to screening is often limited because of the non-availability of trained personnel and diagnostic facilities, particularly in under-served settings.
The RGCB-led project aims to address some of these challenges.
The technology has already been patented, and the research team has completed laboratory-scale validation in cell culture and mouse models.
A pilot study involving human blood samples has also been completed at a laboratory scale. Development of an early-stage prototype of the diagnostic device is currently under way.
The project team, which includes Ani V. Das and Mahendran K. R., aims to develop a functional diagnostic platform that could ultimately support minimally invasive and automated cervical cancer screening
Published - October 17, 2026 08:06 pm IST